Slaying the Snake with Chixiao

Fu Tianwen did not notice Su Mu's change in expression and continued his explanation: "Nearly a month after you all departed, a large number of demons suddenly appeared throughout Great Ngu. Unlike the mindless demons of the past that only knew how to destroy their own kind, those that appeared this time possessed intelligence no inferior to ordinary humans."

"After multiple verifications, we finally confirmed that the Demon race, which had been almost completely wiped out by Great Ngu's Taizu back then, has indeed re-emerged. The Demon Suppressing Camp immediately mobilized to eradicate them."

Saying this, a bitter look appeared in Fu Tianwen's eyes. "It is just that these Demons seemed to have long known of our arrangements. The Demon Suppressing Guards came up empty-handed every time."

"Was it because of the Demons hidden within the imperial court leaking information?"

"Indeed."

Fu Tianwen nodded. "Not just the imperial court, but many local officials also had hidden Demons. Had the Crown Prince not exposed them this time, we would likely still be kept in the dark."

"The Crown Prince?"

Su Mu raised an eyebrow, thinking of the Zuixian Tavern. Unsurprisingly, Yang Xin's intelligence was likely obtained through the Zuixian Tavern, or perhaps he had other means.

"Indeed, it was the Crown Prince."

Fu Tianwen nodded slightly. "While this old man was still having a headache over the Yao God Cult, the Crown Prince was the first to find the Demons hidden within the imperial court."

A divine light flashed in Fu Tianwen's eyes, and he spoke with some excitement.

"That day, the former Crown Prince, who is now the Prince of Xian, was presiding over the imperial court to discuss the eradication of the Yao God Cult. The Crown Prince suddenly appeared and struck down Grand Tutor Cui Cheng on the spot."

Fu Tianwen paused. "Cui Cheng held the prestigious position of one of the Three Ducal Ministers and was the former Crown Prince's tutor, with disciples all over the world. On the spot, countless colleagues were filled with righteous indignation, wanting to arrest His Highness for trial."

"Who would have thought that Grand Tutor Cui Cheng, who should have died, was completely unharmed? He shed his human skin, revealing his true Demon form—a giant white snake that blotted out the sky."

Another snake demon?

Hearing this, Su Mu could not help but think of "Liu Qingtian," who had led Su Yang astray, and finally knew who those letters had been sent to.

"That white snake's cultivation was heavenly. Although the guards of the Zhongyu Camp reacted immediately, they could do nothing against it. In the end, it was the Crown Prince who, holding Chixiao, channeled Great Ngu's Fortune to slay it."

Fu Tianwen looked toward Great Ngu outside the window. "It was also during that event that one-third of the officials in the imperial court were identified as Demons by the Crown Prince and slain on the spot. Because of this, the former Crown Prince was stripped of his East Palace position by His Majesty."

A strange expression appeared on Fu Tianwen's face. "Because the news was sealed by the Zhongyu Camp, the outside world was not clear about what happened that day. However, after His Highness entered the East Palace, rumors began to spread that His Highness had led troops into the imperial palace to force His Majesty to crown him, and that those officials were slain by His Highness."

"So that is how it is. No wonder everyone along the way kept quiet about it."

After hearing Fu Tianwen's explanation, Su Mu understood the general situation and held Yang Xin in even higher regard.

Having played the fool for many years, only to slay a white snake and ascend the throne in a single day—this kind of development was practically the standard of a founding emperor. Moreover, Yang Xin's ability to mobilize Great Ngu's Fortune further proved his identity as the chosen son of heaven.

However, Yang Xin had clearly known the identities of these Demons long ago, yet chose to act only now, likely because he had recently obtained something important.

Thinking of Yang Xin's previous journey on the Path to Heaven, Su Mu also had a realization. He did not expose this before Fu Tianwen, but continued to ask, "Then what of the Yao God Cult? How is it now?"

Fu Tianwen fell silent. After a long while, he pulled a map from his robes, which was densely marked—it was a complete map of Great Ngu's Nine Provinces.

"This is the active range of the Yao God Cult that we currently have. There may be some discrepancies, but it is close enough. Perfected Su, see for yourself."

Su Mu took the map and found that any place with Demon activity was marked with red dots, some dense and some sparse. Only Hanzhou and Ningzhou were completely colored red.

"Lord Fu, this..."

An ominous thought crossed Su Mu's mind, one that was hard to believe. Fu Tianwen nodded. "Indeed. From the governors down to the soldiers, Hanzhou and Ningzhou have been completely controlled by the Yao God Cult. The imperial court has completely lost control over these two provinces."

"Has it reached this point?"

Su Mu's expression turned solemn. With two provinces fallen and the imperial court taking no major action, they likely did not want to destabilize the court. It was just that the common people of those two provinces were suffering for no reason.

"The Yao God Cult is different from past demons. They do not slaughter the common people at will, and even grant protection to those who believe in them. Some are even granted Demon abilities. With the protection of the Demons hidden in the court, they expanded rapidly in just over a month."

"Also because of this, His Majesty expanded the Demon Suppressing Camp once more and began using Great Ngu's Teleportation Formations, precisely to prevent a recurrence of the situation in Hanzhou and Ningzhou."

Fu Tianwen retrieved the map. "Perfected Su, you have seen it too. The Demon Suppressing Grand Camp is now no different from a military fortress, precisely to prevent the captured Demons from escaping."

Su Mu nodded slightly. Previously, a large number of Wuliang Demons had appeared within the Demon Suppressing Grand Camp, and it was indeed not a good thing to let that spread. The court's actions were understandable.

However, that the Yao God Cult would employ such tactics was somewhat surprising to Su Mu. After all, in his impression, these Demons all took pleasure in eating humans.

"Perfected Su must be tired from the journey. Fu shall not disturb you further."

Fu Tianwen looked at the sky and smiled bitterly. "Originally, His Majesty wanted to appoint Perfected Su as the Grand Commander, but the Crown Prince strongly opposed it. In the end, it fell to this old man, precisely to welcome Perfected Su; otherwise, I would not have had this free time."

Hearing Fu Tianwen's words, Su Mu laughed. "In that case, Su owes Lord Fu a favor. If there are any instructions in the future, I shall obey."

"Hahaha... Perfected Su is too polite. It is usually this old man who manages things anyway. I only say this because I am facing Perfected Su."

With that, Fu Tianwen stood up and bowed to Su Mu. "Also, Perfected Su had best read His Majesty's secret decree quickly. If anything is delayed, it would not be good."

"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Fu. Su shall examine it now."

Su Mu nodded slightly, and Fu Tianwen did not stay any longer, turning to depart.